Slovenia will head to the polls on 11 May for a referendum on special pension allowances for artists launched by the opposition amidst government appeals that voters should boycott it.

The referendum, whose date was confirmed on 4 April, concerns a law passed at the end of January that would give selected artists who receive the highest national prizes a special allowance upon retirement.

The bill stipulates the allowances will range from 50% to 100% of the difference between the pension an artist would receive and the maximum pension for the full 40 years of pensionable service, depending on which prizes they win.

The government expects that four artists would receive the allowance each year, but it has not produced calculations showing how much this will cost, something the opposition has seized upon.

The Democratic Party (SDS), long a vocal critic of contemporary art, claims the allowances are nothing but a privilege for a few "quasi artists".

Party leader Janez Janša said the referendum, which the party initiated by collecting more than 40,000 voter signatures, would show "whether Slovenians have become a doormat for the selected elite to wipe their feet on".

He urged people to come to the polls to decide "not only about the pension allowances but also the policies of this government coalition".

The government has labelled the referendum a disgrace, with Culture Minister Asta Vrečko accusing the SDS of waging a culture war against the arts and artists.

Prime Minister Robert Golob has urged the voters to boycott the vote, earning stark rebukes from the opposition.

Turnout is crucial in referendums of this kind, because to repeal a law at least a fifth of all voters must vote against - assuming the overall vote is against as well.

Eight referendums have been held since these quorum rules were put in place in 2013 and only two have succeeded, most recently in 2021.